Qasigiannguit Tourist-Service
Greenland



The history of Qasigiannguit

Qasigiannguit, Christianshåb in Danish, is the oldest colonial town of northern Greenland. In 1734 the merchant Jacob Severin send out ships in order to establish a colony and mission in northern Greenland. The colony was put up at the good natural harbor by then known to Dutch whalers as Vire bay, and at July 25 1734, just 15 days after the arrival of the party, Poul Egede, the son of Hans Egede the apostle of Greenland consecrated the new colony. The name Christianshåb was given in traditional colonial style in order to celebrate the Danish King Christian the VI. In 1734 Dutch whalers had been whaling in Disko Bay for years, and in addition to the wish of a mission in northern Greenland, the colony also served as a Danish stronghold by which Dutch trade could be expelled. The Greenlandic name Qasigiannguit means the place with the small harbour seals, although the harbour seal only breeds a few places in Greenland. Soon after the permanent colonial settlement was put up in the creek Illukut, a few Greenlanders built some turf walled houses with cold trap entrance in the vicinity of the colony.

The square foundations of the colonial log buildings, as well as the sunken turf walls of the Greenlenders houses are still to be seen on the site 500 m east of the present town.

Early on the location chosen for the colony proved to be a bad choice. When terrible storms raged the area, the buildings were trembling, and the colonists had to flee into the semi subterranean turf walled Greenlandic houses. At one occasion the roof was blown of the living house and several smaller cabins were demolished. In addition to this the clay soil constituted such a bad drainage, that during spring time the in tire area became flooded and swampy. So in 1763 a new house was shipped up for the colonial master, and later also the old log house was moved across the bay in order to serve as storehouse. This house, the oldest house in northern Greenland, and one of the eldest houses in Greenland at all are to be seen just by the museum located in the old colonial masters house from 1763.

For many years Qasigiannguit lived a quite life holding only a minor population. However during the 1950's, the shrimp stocks in the Disko Bay were discovered, and a shrimp processing factory was opened in Qasigiannguit. Employees was brought in from other parts of the country, and soon after the population rose from approximately 500 persons to the present population of ca 1500.


Next page

Top of page
Qasigiannguit Tourist-Service homepage
Greenland Guide Index

© Copyright Greenland Guide & Qasigiannguit Tourist-Service
http://www.greenland-guide.dk